DK2 Upgrades

[SARJ]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

The L500XL sounds cool in the DK2. I had an L500XL for a while and decided to try it out in my DK2. It's great if all your doing is shredding. As far as chunkified rhythem it's a little too trebly.

The absolute best sounding pickup in a DK2 as far as I'm concerned is the Seymour Duncan Distortion. I tried both the SH-6 and the Floyd spaced versions and the SH-6 Distortion sounds better for some reason. It seems to have more bottom end thump to it than the TB-6. The stock single coils sound fine as is. I don't plan on changing mine out. If you go with the BL500XL I would suggest a SD Hot Rails in the neck for rhythem stuff.

Keep in mind..........this is my opinion based on "MY" ear. You may have a diferent opinion.

I have had my DK2 going on 3 years. My JT580LP bridge works and stays in tune just as well now as it did when I first got it.

Another upgrade worth looking at would be new volume and tone pots. Make sure and get 500K's. My volume pot wore out after soldering in so many diferent pickups. If you buy Fender pots you have to ream the hole out a little. I put Fender 500K pots in mine and have had zero problems since.

I havn't experienced any problems with my neck. It has stayed where I set it without bowing. This dpends on climate. I live in the high deserts of New Mexico so theres no humidity here unless it rains.

Overall I'd have to say the DK2 is the best Jackson I have ever owned. I have been blessed with owning many kickass axes over the past 3 years and my DK2 has been the one that I go to every time. I also have a new DK2LE that we did last year. It's got a thicker neck than the pre-buyout Jacksons. Build quality is right on and the sound can't be beat.

As far as a US SL2H goes............I'd love to have one too, but after spending a week at a friends house and being able to A-B my DK2 to his SL1 I just can't justify spending a bunch of money on a US model when the import DK2 holds it's own very very well.

Hope this all helps.

SARJ

[DonP]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Jon,

That was plenty helpful. I'm finding the only issue so far is that my volume pot is right where I pick, and I tend to knock the volume lower. I think if I upgraded pots to ones that aren't so loose, it will help.

As far as pickups, I'm still out. Part of me says they aren't that bad. I was going to use my other axe to A/B bridge pickups against.

[SARJ]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

The HB102B that comes stock in the DK2 is a decent copy of the real deal Seymour Duncan TB-4 or JB humbucker. It's a decent pickup. I put mine in an ESP/LTD Kamakazi that I used to have and it sounded better than the HB103B it came with. The HB103B is the copy of the actual SD TB-6 Distortion. Lynch used a TB-6 on almost all of the Dokken years. The HB102B nailed his sound better IMO. All you need to do is zero it down to what you actualy need in there..........

1. What music will you play most w/ your DK2?
2. Is the stock pickup too hot or too cold?
3. What is the sound you are realy looking for?
4. Passive or Active pickups?
5. Play along with some of your guitar hero CD's and see if the stock pickup can hold it's own.

I have tried a DiMarzio Super Distortion and had good results. This pickup needs alot of mids to get killer harmonics. The DiMarzio Evolution is kick ass! It sounds great in a DK2. The Evo is like a hotter Duncan JB. You could turn your mids off and still get killer harmonics. Out of all the DiMarzio pickups I think the EVO is the best choice. How could Steve Vai be wrong? EVO's are all he uses! HA HA HA!!!

Ponder the above questions and also check out www.harmonycentral.com. It's a gear review site and you can go through just about every pickup ever made and read user reviews.

Keeps us informed.
SARJ

[SARJ]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

............oops, I almost forgot..........The Fender 500K volume pot I put in mine eliminated that problem for me. I was rolling the volume back on mine just like you are now. Also a stock Strat volume knob would work well. I was using one at first just to see how it would look and it ended up that it was low profile enough to stay out of my way.

[DonP]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Oh I spend a lot of time at HC! That's how I found this place (thanks pott!)

I like to let the amp provide the distortion, and have cleaner pickups. I think these fit in pretty well with what I have. I'm getting to like this pickup a lot.

I guess you see a lot of reviews of people bashing something, but they don't really explain why. Like, I could bash this pickup let's say, but if I didn't explain I was trying to get a country sound (just an example!), bashing the pickup is meaningless.

I see a lot of recomendations for the Duncan Distortion, but I haven't found many ceramics that do it for me. I just pulled hot ceramics out of my LP Classic Premium Plus and put in some '57s. They don't have the power or the sustain, but the overall tone sounds better (for what I like).

And what do I like? 80's metal in general. Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Dokken, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Savatage, you get the idea. The heavier stuff. I'm finding this pickup with my Marshall nails Maiden and Queensryche very good. But I've heard the Super Distortion was used a lot, so it makes me wonder.

I think I might try to get a real JB just to see - a cheap one on ebay.

[SARJ]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Here's a list of players and pickups from the bands you mentioned:

1. Iron Maiden-DiMarzio Super Distortion (Dave Murray)
2. Dokken-Seymour Duncan Distortion and for at least the last 15 years the Seymour Duncan Screamin Demon. George Lynch has tried a butt load of pickups over the years. He's even tried the EMG 81 which used to be his second choice after the Distortion. He prefered the passive Distortion pickup for it's wide open raw sound.

3. Black Sabbath-From what I've seen he used stock Gibson humbuckers. Now he uses his signature Iommi pickup.

4. Judas Priest-From what I've heard they used the DM Super Distortion in the early days.

The JB is a good choice for all around 80's shred metal. It gives a great clean sound and when split to single it sounds great. The distortion sound is very even and slightly compressed. The JB is the pickup your current HB102B is a copy of. What you will get from the JB is higher output and more balance.

SARJ

[DonP]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Both the Super Distortion and Duncan Distortion use ceramic pickups and a hot wind on the coils. I'm wondering hot much these sound like each other - if they do at all.

The JB is a Alnico V pickup, wound hot, but still a PAF like tone.

The issue with this is that I have 5 Gibson's loaded with humbuckers in the bridge - BB Pro, BB2, '57 Classic, 498T, and epoxy filled unknown from 1979. I love my 498T - it's a 14.5K wind with an Alnico V magnet - and it sound like what I think a JB should - only hotter and with a powerful bass response.

I really like the sound of this Duncan Designed JB, but I'm wondering if it's too close to what I have now, and if I should shoot for something different.

I did have a Gibson 500T loaded but replaced it with the 57's. I guess I'm stereotyping Gibsons to be PAF sounding, and Jacksons to be Heavy Metal sounding.

I'm thinking of going with Hot Rails in the neck and middle (ala the Iron Maiden strat). Here is where the gripe comes in - The Fender Iron Maiden strat used a JB Jr. in the bridge, but a full sized Super Distortion would be more appropriate. Damn this gets confusing.

BTW I have a MIM Strat unmodded if I want a true single coil sound, so I'm not worried about losing that sound with this guitar.

So, after all this ranting - How would a Super Distortion and a pair of Duncan Hot Rails sound? I don't see many people commenting on Hot Rails (at least not in the bridge) so that makes me a little worried.

[Newc]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

I had a neck-position Hot Rails in the bridge of a guitar (1990 Warrior with the dual slanted singles) paired with a JBJr bridge model, and each one was individually selectable, and the Hot Rails sounded good in that position, however, I didn't really like a Hot Rails Bridge model in the bridge as it seemed kinda high-endy for me.

I was greatly disappointed in the Iron Maiden Strat - it should have had 2 hums and a Floyd like his older one, not 3 singles IMO.

I've had both Duncan Distortions and DiMarzio Super Distortions and they didn't sound alike at all to me. The DiMarzio had more of a "Gibson" sound.

I also had a Jackson Strat that had a Classic Stack in the bridge, and that pickup sounded more like a humbucker than any other single-spaced stacked humbucker I've tried. However, I had a Custom Shop ash KV that had a Classic Stack in the neck, and it sounded more Strattish. Could have been due to the body wood differences, but I don't know what the Strat was made of.

For a DK2 I'd suggest a Distortion in the bridge, Classic Stack in the middle (if you can find an older one without the center tab, or cut the hole to accommodate it) and a JBJr in the neck. If you're feeling frisky, route the neck pickup out for a humbucker and drop in a Custom or a full-size JB.

[DonP]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Newc,

Thanks for the suggestions.

Your 1990 Warrior you had has the same pickup combo as the Fender Iron Maiden strat - did it sound like Iron Maiden?

I too am very dissapointed with the Iron Maiden Strat - enough so that I'm going to build my own. In pictures in my Iron Maiden tab book (first 4 albums) I could have sworn it's a vintage strat bridge - could he have switched after those years?

I am going to build an Iron Maiden strat myself (using a DiMarzio PAF and Super Distortion).

I'm definitely looking at replacing the single coils in my DK2 with quite humbuckers, so those single coil suggestions are very helpful. Especially any issues with fitting them in.

Here is my dilema - If I replace the two single, I want two that look the same (i.e. two rails, or two mini hums, or two 6 slug hums). I have enough neck humbucker guitars that I don't feel the need to route.

Given my criteria, I could do a JB jr and lil 59, mix hot rails neck with cool rails, or go for a Malmsteen (sp?) stacked DiMarzio singles.

Which would you go for? The Classic stack sounds like going for Malmsteen's sound (very acceptable).

[Leo Chang]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Hi DonP:

IF you want the Malmsteen sound, go for the DiMarzio HS-3 or the YJM (identical to the HS-3 except for staggered pole pieces. Malmsteen claims that this sounds better to him) I have two HS-3s in my hybrid YJM strat, and it NAILS the Malmsteen tone.

[DonP]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Hey thanks Leo. I'll keep a lookout for those. I guess I need to figre out what single coil neck tone I'm really after. Whenever I think of one, I always think of Rising Force, so maybe that's the one for me.

[Newc]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

The JBJr had more mids when used by itself, but not nasally honking mids, and when combined with the Hot Rails it was nice and beefy. I guess it could have gotten an Iron Maiden tone had I worked with my amp settings to get it, but I didn't.

IIRC, Dave Murray used two DiMarzio SDs in his black NOTB Strat, which was at some point modded to have a Floyd.

[SARJ]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

You could also try a Cool Rails. I got to play a used Strat at Music Go Round that had one. It's a humbucker, but not as hot as the Hot Rails. It was quiet and it sounded pretty good. It sounded alot like an HS-2 ( I think it's an HS-2).

Dave Murray had a bunch of Strats. He had a black strat with the HSH config and an OFR. It had a rosewood board. The maple boarded black Strat hat a vintage trem and later an OFR. He did use two DiMarzio Super Distortions and if I'm not mistaken a stock reverse polarity Strat single. I too think the Fender Iron Maiden Strat was kind of poorly done. It should have been the HSH vintage trem black with maple board. Hell, make it aged like the closet classic Strats to add to the realism. I would have been all over one of those. To top it off, don't put the Iron Maiden logo on the headstock. Put it on the neck plate and it would have been a masterpiece. I was actualy thinking about hunting down a used black Mexican made Fender Standard Strat with a maple board and doing the Dave Murray mods. That would be as close as you could get without spending a load of cash. Hmmmm..........I'm gonna have to keep that in mind. All of the work would be on the pickguard. HSH pickguard in black/white/black, 2 Dimarzio Super Dist. in cream, use the stock single for the middle, put in 500K volume and tone pots, bolt it together and your done. Dave's Fenders were 60's and 70's models so the 21 frets wouldn't be a problem for early Maiden leads.

[SARJ]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

........oh yeah, I almost forgot! You got to have chrome pickup mounting rings!

[DonP]

Re: DK2 Upgrades

Yep, the MIM Strat is a perfect starting point. Here is one I just let slide by. I didn't like the aging - didn't look right.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

Heck of a lot cheaper starting price. Do these have Alder bodies? I read Dave's was Alder.